Classical solutions to Cauchy problems for parabolic-elliptic systems of Keller-Segel type (Q6049720)

The parabolic-elliptic Keller-Segel system of chemotaxis \[ u_t=\Delta u-\nabla\cdot(uS\cdot\nabla v), \] \[ 0=\Delta v+u, \] is studied in the whole space \(\mathbb R^n\), \(n\ge 2\). The sensitivity function is defined by a matrix \(S\in \mathbb R^{n\times n}\). The main result is the existence of classical solutions of the Cauchy problem with \(u_0\in BUC(\mathbb R^n)\cap L^p(\mathbb R^n)\) with some \(p\in [1,n)\), with the following continuation criterion: if the maximal existence time is \(T\in(0,\infty]\), then BOTH limits \[ \limsup_{t\nearrow T}\|u(.,t)\|_{L^\infty}=\infty, \] \[ \limsup_{t\nearrow T}\|\nabla v(.,t)\|_{L^\infty}=\infty \] are infinite. As an application of that criterion, the global-in-time existence is shown for initial data of arbitrary size whenever the matrix \(S\) is close enough to the matrix \(-I\), i.e. the essentially repulsive case (this \(S=-I\) corresponds to a physical model of electrically repulsing particles of Nernst-Planck-Debye-Hückel). Another application of (the second of) the condition for (non)continuation is in the analysis of radially symmetric solutions usually done with the integrated density \(u\) and the original \(\nabla v\) variables. The methods used combine the approach with mild solutions and \(L^p\) energy-type estimates.